Bass players who need a tapered core string for modern techniques will love the superior performance of DR Long Necks stainless steel strings. Players searching for increased stability in the lower registers will find great clarity and definition with DR's tapered bass strings. DR taper-cores use a single wrap around a hex core as the narrow winding passes over the bridge.

I use these about a month when new then keep them in my gig bag for backup. These have two uses for me - when new they have a bright sparkle that works great...Read complete review

I use these about a month when new then keep them in my gig bag for backup. These have two uses for me - when new they have a bright sparkle that works great with slap, modern jazz, or country. Once they have about 100 hours on them they get dark and sound like round-wounds on an older P-bass - which I use for rock, metal, or bluegrass. So I use them at different ages for different musical styles. A little work but well worth it. I use a 1994 Warwick 5-string as my 'go-to' instrument. Also when new there might be fret buzz, so you may need to raise the strings slightly. I set my pickups as low as they can go, and still have my strings a little higher than most would set them. But on this set of strings that setup gives me a spot-on pitch, excellent control of the notes, and makes slapping easier. With these strings and this set-up I can play comfortably for hours with no finger cramps or sore hands.With a GK 550 Fusion amp, I can get most of my sounds from the bass and can leave the EQ flat on the amp. I've tried these strings for Reggae but they aren't the best for that.On my Warwick (with a wenge neck and fingerboard) I get 20-30 second sustains with open strings. (Think Rush's Tom Sawyer) If you have the custom shop bridge, be sure to follow the stringing instructions exactly. That will give you an extra 10 seconds of sustain.During the first few days you need to re-tune several times a day. Get these strings a few days BEFORE you need them.

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Bad set?

This one was a head-scratcher. I put these strings on and gave them a week or two to break in. Try as I might, I could not get the intonation correct. Tuning the...Read complete review

This one was a head-scratcher. I put these strings on and gave them a week or two to break in. Try as I might, I could not get the intonation correct. Tuning the open strings was fine, but the intonation was noticeably off on the fretted 12th. No amount of fiddling with the bridge could dial it in. Trying to play chords above the 12th fret was a lost cause -- sounded terrible.

They were also very buzzy. I assume the tapered core had them sitting lower. Could have raised the bridge, but the intonation issue had me so aggravated that I didn't bother.

As a side note, I've heard of others having intonation issues with DR strings. I can't say I understand what would cause this or how common it might be, but it was very real for me.

Just switched the Long Necks out for DR Sunbeams and it's a night/day difference. Musician's Friend comp'ed me the Sunbeams after I called foul on the Long Necks. I mention this not to encourage people to try to get free strings out of MF, but to point out how great their customer service is. They really are the best.

These work well on my Schecter Stiletto Studio 5 string. Its a 35" scale length. They keep that new string sound for a long time but are pretty gentle on the hands for steel. They are bendable but not spongy. Good sustain too.

This one was a head-scratcher. I put these strings on and gave them a week or two to break in. Try as I might, I could not get the intonation correct. Tuning the open strings was fine, but the intonation was noticeably off on the fretted 12th. No amount of fiddling with the bridge could dial it in. Trying to play chords above the 12th fret was a lost cause -- sounded terrible.

They were also very buzzy. I assume the tapered core had them sitting lower. Could have raised the bridge, but the intonation issue had me so aggravated that I didn't bother.

As a side note, I've heard of others having intonation issues with DR strings. I can't say I understand what would cause this or how common it might be, but it was very real for me.

Just switched the Long Necks out for DR Sunbeams and it's a night/day difference. Musician's Friend comp'ed me the Sunbeams after I called foul on the Long Necks. I mention this not to encourage people to try to get free strings out of MF, but to point out how great their customer service is. They really are the best.

Put a set of these on a week or two ago and I've been going crazy trying to get the intonation dialed in. This isn't the first time I've set my intonation and I've got a pretty good idea what I'm doing. But for the life of me, I cannot get these strings intoned properly. FWIW, there seems to be a lot of discussion online about DR's and intonation problems (which I found after pulling most of my hair out).

I play a Lakland with a 35" scale neck and a string through body. These strings are a great length for my bass and sound freaken awesome. I like a very tight B string with snappy response and these strings help provide that.

I use these about a month when new then keep them in my gig bag for backup. These have two uses for me - when new they have a bright sparkle that works great with slap, modern jazz, or country. Once they have about 100 hours on them they get dark and sound like round-wounds on an older P-bass - which I use for rock, metal, or bluegrass. So I use them at different ages for different musical styles. A little work but well worth it. I use a 1994 Warwick 5-string as my 'go-to' instrument. Also when new there might be fret buzz, so you may need to raise the strings slightly. I set my pickups as low as they can go, and still have my strings a little higher than most would set them. But on this set of strings that setup gives me a spot-on pitch, excellent control of the notes, and makes slapping easier. With these strings and this set-up I can play comfortably for hours with no finger cramps or sore hands.With a GK 550 Fusion amp, I can get most of my sounds from the bass and can leave the EQ flat on the amp. I've tried these strings for Reggae but they aren't the best for that.On my Warwick (with a wenge neck and fingerboard) I get 20-30 second sustains with open strings. (Think Rush's Tom Sawyer) If you have the custom shop bridge, be sure to follow the stringing instructions exactly. That will give you an extra 10 seconds of sustain.During the first few days you need to re-tune several times a day. Get these strings a few days BEFORE you need them.

I've used these on my Fender Jazz Deluxe and my Laklands for years. There are a lot of strings out there that aren't bad but these make my basses sing. The taper core makes it easy for body through and I find the "B" string is much more articulate than on other sets and not so thick that the "B" sounds like mud. These are also not bright bright like other stainless sets I've used but they are even set to set consitant and they outlast everything else I've ever used! Can't go wrong with these!

These are a few of my favorite strings (sorry, couldn't resist). DR strings, in general, have a crisp sound that's not too bright. If I were a full-time slapper, I probably wouldn't use them, but they sound just fine in that role for the occasional funk line.

Here's the thing I love about DR strings: THEY LAST! And, last, and last. I don't know if they ever start sounding really bad. Usually, I just get tired of having the same strings on there and change them out anyway. The new ones always sound a bit better, but the old ones never go completely dead (thud thud) the way some strings do.

I've been playing bass since 1970 & have played countless brands & types of bass strings. DR has been my choice for the last 5 years. They are consistent from set to set, & in tone, from string to string. Just like they say, bright but not harsh or brittle sounding. They can also thunder & pulverize with any other string I've used. I use them on a Fender Am. Std. 5 string Jazz bass w/passive pickups. Strings run through the body so the taper core is perfect for making the sharp bend over the bridge saddle. These strings have as much life & pop as my other bass w/active EQ, just don't have the 3 band EQ to fine tune (not the strings fault).Out of the package, all Dr strings I've used have very little to no dirt or residue on them. I spray a mild contact cleaner onto a clean cloth & wipe the stings down before I ever install it. (You'd be amazed how much black crap comes off other brands of strings, but not DR.) I follow that with a coating of 'DR extra string life' after installing.(Directions say to leave it sit overnight so it adheres to string.) Next day, start rockin'. Make sure you wipe the strings down after each gig or rehearsal with a string cleaner to keep the black crap from ruining those $$ strings. AND WASH YOUR HANDS before playing. They'll thank you by sounding great & lasting longer!

I can't say enough good about these strings! The "taper core" design really helps bring out a cleaner fundamental. I tune down my 5 strings to either G#-D#-G#-C#-F#, or G#-C#-G#-C#-F# and they produce a much tighter note with less of the muddy overtones you can get when tuning down a conventional string (a 35" scale and a string-thru body bridge helps a lot also). They have a nice bright articulate sound, and have a slight growl to them which I love. They are also a little smoother to the touch than a lot of other stainless steel strings, really that goes for all DR strings though. DR makes one hell of a string! So all in all, if you use lower tunings, or are just wanting a tighter more articulate fundamental, I'd definitely recommend checking these strings out!